Sri Lankan military rescue workers carry out a rescue operation at the site of a collapsed garbage dump in Colombo.
The collapse of a 91-meter-high landfill killed at least 21 people, including three teenagers, and injured a dozen others on Friday night in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo. Hopes of finding survivors faded on Sunday
Hundreds of soldiers, however, continued on Sunday to dig in the middle of the refuse and 145 houses destroyed by this disaster which occurred Friday in the huge garbage dump of Kolonnawa surrounded by slums on the northeastern edge of the capital Colombo which made 21 dead according to a new record.
“It is difficult to imagine how anyone could survive in this toxic environment , ” said a senior police official.
Four children between the ages of 11 and 15 are among the 21 dead, Colombo National Hospital spokeswoman Pushpa Soysa said. A previous death toll was 19.
The police force has been increased due to reports of looting. A total of 18 people suspected of stealing property belonging to the victims were arrested.
145 homes in total were demolished
As the country celebrated the traditional Sinhala and Tamil New Year, a 91-meter-high pile of garbage, destabilized overnight by torrential rains and a fire, collapsed, burying huts in a slum. Police said a total of 145 homes were demolished.
More than 600 people have taken temporary refuge at a nearby government school. The authorities were looking for accommodation solutions while the rescuers, assisted by two excavators, continued the search.
Many residents had been evacuated before the accident due to heavy rains. “There would have been even more casualties if most people had not left their homes earlier in the day,” an emergency relief official told reporters on the spot.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, currently visiting Japan, assured that arrangements had been made to remove this mountain of garbage but that its collapse had occurred before resettlement operations for residents could be initiated. “People who have lost their homes and those who need to be resettled will be compensated,” he said in a statement. “We will keep our promise to remove” the mountain of garbage, the document adds.
23 million tonnes of garbage
Saman Wimalasiri, an entrepreneur who came among the first aid workers, told AFP that he had helped several people get out of their devastated homes.
“We used ropes and pulled an old woman who was trapped under the debris of her own house,” Wimalasiri said. “It took us almost four hours to get her to safety . “
According to him, some areas remain out of reach due to their instability after the collapse of the rubbish heap. First aid was provided by volunteers like Mr. Wimalasiri, joined by hundreds of soldiers after President Maithripala Sirisena ordered the army and police to assist overnight.
The inhabitants of the area regularly denounce the environmental devastation caused by this open dump where 23 million tons of garbage pile up, with 800 tons of additional solid waste dumped every day.
Guttila Silva, local politician and former mayor of Kolonnawa, spoke of residents’ anger at Colombo Municipality which continues to dump hundreds of tons of garbage into the landfill daily despite concerns for the safety of people living nearby.
Serious health dangers
“People are of course furious that their protests have been ignored,” Silva said. “I fear that the death toll will increase because there are dozens of people still missing . “
A smaller garbage collapse destroyed three homes in this area in February 2016. The authorities then evacuated 25 neighboring homes because of the risks.
The Sri Lankan Parliament was recently informed of the serious health dangers posed by the 23 million tonnes of rotting garbage in Kolonnawa. A project is underway to build an electric plant to transform this waste.
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